What to do with the kids: Check the website "Berlin with children".

Where to sleep: We stayed at the Circus hotel  at Rosenthaler Platz (near Prenzlauer Berg). But there is a big road in front of the hotel so be prepared for some noise. The Volkspark am Weinberg nearby is a lovely quiet spot.

Where to eat: Hidden in a courtyard there is Bracomis Deli offering delicious bagles and coffee/tea.

Shopping in Prenzlauer Berg: You'll find great shops at Kastanienallee, Neue Schönhauserstrasse and Hackescher Markt.

Getting there: Take the night train leaving Basel around 9pm arriving in Berlin around 8am. For train rides during the day check www.bahn.de. If you buy well ahead, you'll get some supersaver tickets.

Song for the city: Was es ist - MIA

What to do with the kids: Szczecin changes rapidly. So no recommendations here but have a look at their tourist office website.

Getting there: From Berlin there are several regional trains linking the two cities within 2 hours.

Song for the city: 22 - Lilly Allen

What to do with the kids: Slupsk is a charming city. As almost every city in Poland, it changes rapidly. So no recommendations here but have a look at their tourist office website.

Getting there: There are several direct trains to Slupks. Check the website of polish trains.

Where to sleep: We stayed at the lovely hotel Atena. Staff was very friendly and helpful!

Song for the city: Gabriela Cilmi - Sweet about me

What to do with the kids:

Day 1: Explore the beautiful old town. Near the Motlawa river you'll find the Maritime Culture Center. The interactive exhibition covers an area of nearly 400m2. Children will get acquainted with the life of a sailor, and dress themselves as a seaman, a ship's captain or even a pirate. Speaking of... take a ride on the pirate ship Czarna Perla. It takes you to Westernplatte.

Day 2: There are several good beaches around Gdansk. We took the tramway to "Wczasy 01" . From there it's a short walk to Brzezno beach. Nearby the tram stop there is also a huge playground and a rope park. Alternatively, go to Sopot beach. Sopot is a lovely sea town not far away from Gdansk (20min by train). From Sopot train station, walk down to the lighthouse and then head to the beach. There are several good fish restaurants all along the shore.

Day 3: The Aquarium Gdynia in Gdynia (several trains, around 25min ride from Gdansk) is a wonderful place for children. From Gdynia train station it is a 25min walk to the Aquarium. In Gdynia we had nice lunch at Pyra bar.

Day 4: Take the train to the city of Malbork (approx. 30min). From there, it takes a 15min walk to the Malbork Castle Museum. The Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork is a 13th-century Teutonic castle and fortress. It is the largest castle in the world measured by land area and a UNESCO World Heritage. 

As Poland is a dynamic country, everything changes rapidly. Thus always check the tourist information website for the latest informations.

Where to sleep: We had a wonderful Airbnb at Grodzka street (great location because it is both, quiet and centrally located).

Where to eat delicious ice cream: Lodziarnia Mis on Sukiennicza street.

Getting there: There are several trains from Slupsk to Gdansk. Check the website of polish trains.

Song for the city: Freedom - Pharell Williams

Olszty, the capital of the Warmia and Mazury province, was founded 1353. It is surrounded by forests and lakes. 

What to do with the kids:

The museum of Warmia and Masuria is located in an fourteenth century Gothic castle where the famous astronomer, Nicolas Copernicus, served as an administrator.

The Amphitheater offers good open-air concerts.

The Jezioro Dlugie pond offers a nice pedestrian walk around its shore. You can either walk the whole round or make an abbreviation, crossing the Kladka nad Jeziorem Dlugie bridge. The central park offers some good walks, a water fountain to play with and a fun playground.

In summer, the Plaza Miejska offers a lovely beach and the possiblity to cool down.

Getting there: There are several trains from Gdansk to Olsztyn. Check the website of polish trains.

Where to sleep: We had a wonderful time at the Best Western Plus Hotel Dyplomat. It is an exquisite hotel for a very reasonnable price!

Where to eat: There are several good options at the main square (stare miesto). The restaurant in the hotel Dyplomat was actually also very good.

Song for the city: Fields of Gold - Sting

Torun was a nice surprise. A lovely city with a cool coffee culture. Definitely worth a stopover.

What to do with the kids: The big event for our son was the Cosmopolis fontana, a water fountain with light effects and music during the evening and at night. The Museum of Gingerbread was another cool place for our kid. It's an interactive museum where you can learn to prepare Gingerbread.

Getting there: From Gdansk it takes a 2.5-3h train ride to Torun. Check the website of polish trains.

Where to sleep: Hotel Petit Fleur is a very well located and nicely run hotel.

Song for the city: Shakespear's Sister - Hello

 What to do with the kids: The old market (Stary Rynek) is overwhelmingly beautiful.

Getting there: It is a 2.5h train ride from Torun.

Where to sleep: Hotel Kolegiacki was a great choice. Old school luxury for a unbeatable price.

Shopping: The stary browar is a contemporary shopping centre and an authentic centre of culture and education. Visitors can shop in more than 200 stores, dine well, interact with art and great design and take part in numerous workshops and events. 

Song for the city: The world is yours - visoneers

What to do with the kids: We just had a stopover. Nevertheless the city center is already worth visiting. Also the other side of the river Oder is well worth visiting.

Getting there: By train from Poznan it took us around 2.5h.

Where to sleep: The Granary is a superbe hotel near the city center. It's well worth the price.

Song for the city: Jain - Come

Have you seen the Grand Budapest Hotel from Wes Anderson? If yes: Welcome to Görlitz!

What to do with the kids: Görlitz is probably one of the most beautiful towns in Germany. It is right at the border to Poland. Strolling around within the city center is a lovely experience as it has many pedestrian streets. In the Stadpark there is a big playground. 

Getting there: It is a 2.5h trainride from Poznan.

Where to sleep: We slept at the quiet Parkhotel Görlitz.

Where to eat: We had a lovely dinner at the Gasthof Dreibeiniger Hund (translated as dog with tree legs)

Song for the city: The wonder of life - Alexander Desplat

What to do with the kids: Our kids love the Verkehrsmuseum Dresden. It's interactive and fun. But also the historic sites, like the Semperoper, the Zwinge,  the Frauenkirche and many more well as the many parks, can be of interest also for kids. By crossing the river Elbe and arriving to the Goldener Reiter you'll get to the alternative neighbourhood, the Neustadt. Either you walk there (down Königsstrasse or Hauptstrasse until Albertplatz) or take a tram. From Albertplatz take any street down to Louisenstrasse. At the Mutzelhaus at Louisenstrasse 54 you'll find a playground and eating possiblilty in one place. At Louisenstrasse there is also a good playground.

A bit further down the city there is a teleferic which brings you to a good viewpoint. In order to get there take a bus in direction to Loschwitz, which crosses the "Blaues Wunder" bridge arriving at Körnerplatz. From there you'll see the "Schwebebahn" (teleferic) which brings you up to the view point.

The nearby Pirna (30min by train) with its castle is well worth a visit. It's a rather small, but historic interesting city with a well preserved city center. If you have time and you are sporty enough, climb up the Lilienstein Westecke in order to get a magnificent view.

More information is provided by the tourist information website.

Getting there: The train from Görlitz to Dresden takes around 2h.

Where to sleep: We always stay at the Aparthotels an der Frauenkirche. The appartments are spacious and centrally located.

Where to eat: See above the Mutzelhaus.

Shopping: I love the Neustadt. You'll find incredible fun places to shop there. A well worth visiting shop with great milky products you'll find at Dresdner Molkerei Gebrüder Pfund.

Song for the city: Der goldene Reiter - Joachim Witt